Damon's Origins: Sagesse
by 2serendipity
Summary: A woman isn't just for food. She's for pleasure... One-shot inspired by the preview for 3.16 '1912'


**AN: I know I promised an update of EA, but the preview for next episode (almost a month from now, gah!) just about forced me to write this little one-shot. I based Sage on the character we saw in the preview (Sage is a woman), but also on the Sage-character in the books by LJ Smith, so there's going to be a few French words (but only a very few). The title, Sagesse, means 'wisdom' in French. **

**Also, this isn't M without a reason: there's some smut obviously, but there's also a bit of non-consensual stuff. This is about Damon's Origins: we all know he wasn't always riding his moral high horse...**

**Thanks, Shadowfaxangel, for prereading this ;)**

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><p>Damon was drowning his despair at the only barsocial establishment in Mystic Falls. Knowing he'd done the right thing by giving Stefan the bunny-muncher the chance to reclaim his girl didn't mean that it didn't hurt like hell. Hence the need for some mind-numbing alcohol. He'd gone through nearly his entire stash at home, so he was now sitting at the Grill, being harassed by Original Barbie.

For some reason, Rebekah had decided that flaunting him as her lover would be a good way to get back at Elena. He was almost of a mind to tell her that she was behind on the news, just to get some peace and quiet. To figuratively stab Elena in the back, she'd better renew her acquaintance with her old flame, aka baby bro.

Speaking of the devil… Stefan was suddenly leaning his elbows on the bar next to him.

Damon swallowed his drink in one go. Ignoring Rebekah on his left side, he drawled, "What brings you here, Steffy? Did the rabbits finally decide to revolt against you?"

Stefan didn't react to Damon's barb. He merely said, "There's a new visitor in town, Damon."

Damon coolly raised an eyebrow, "Yay? Wait, no, why should I care about that?"

"I think you might this time..." Stefan watched his brother closely as he dropped his bomb, "Remember _Sage_?"

Damon's eyes widened.

"Who's Sage?" Rebekah asked, looking from Damon to Stefan. Stefan shrugged.

"You should be grateful to the lady, Bex," Damon answered slowly, "Sage showed me how to have a good time…"

His mind drifted back to Paris, France. The year was 1889. Damon Salvatore had been a member of the fanged brigade for 25 years when he'd met Sage in September of that glorious year.

He was just starting to get slightly bored with the whole living forever idea. It had been cool at first, but after working through most everything on his bucket list, the tediousness of eternity had begun to set in. He'd been there and done that. He'd traveled the world, driven by a thirst for knowledge he'd never realized he had, exploring art and museums with the same intensity as the battlefields of countless wars.

He'd left the New World behind, crossing the Atlantic to Europe not long after his 'rebirth', putting as much distance between his brother and himself as he could. Besides, post-Civil War America was licking its wounds and rebuilding. Europe before the turn of the century was much more interesting for a fledgling vampire, teeming as it was with revolution and social change, and Paris was at the heart of it, bursting at the seams for the World Exhibition of 1889, filled with people, a wealth of opportunities to enjoy at leisure. It was _La Belle Epoque_, and the Old World was drunk on its own genius. Nothing was impossible, everything was allowed.

Fascinating times for a vampire looking to feed, fight and fuck his merry way through eternity.

Food was easy to come by. At first, he rejoiced in the killing, in the power it gave him over his lost humanity as he drowned the memory of his own origins in a sea of blood. But somewhere along the line, that suddenly wasn't enough anymore. He started looking for a challenge. The kill ceased to be the most important thing; it was soon eclipsed by the thrill of the chase, the danger of discovery. The harder the hunt, the more he enjoyed the victory. He didn't mind if it took him days to get what he wanted. In the end, he _always_ got what he wanted...

And so, in September of the year 1889, when the whole world seemed to be gathered in Paris, indulging in every whim known to man, so was Damon. He'd set his sights on the most difficult prey of all: a buttoned-up, virginal young lady of quality. They were always guarded closely, but that was part of the adventure.

He'd compelled himself into the ballroom of one of the very beautiful _hôtels particuliers_ that Paris was known for, sure that his prey of choice would attend tonight's masked ball, together with a matchmaking mama who was looking to get the apple of her eye married off to some eligible bachelor as quickly as possible. Damon made sure he was not eligible at all, because that would diminish the challenge. He was playing the part of a penniless Italian count, a part that didn't even require him to change his name.

He'd made his move, sweeping the chosen girl off her feet by dancing a daring waltz with her, and then luring her out onto the terrace with him, sweet-talking her into following him into the maze, away from prying eyes and attentive chaperones. He had taken her to the little gazebo in the center of it, where he'd taken off his mask, and he was just about to sink his fangs into her neck when a husky laugh interrupted him.

"_Mon dieu! _What are you doing, _mon beau garçon_?" The voice was uncommon for a woman, low and sensual.

Damon looked up from his meal with a frown. He'd been intent on slaking his bloodlust, and he didn't take kindly to being disturbed. He took in the sight of the woman standing before him.

She was... regal, her muted green ball gown showing off the long, elegant lines of her body. Slightly older than he was, she held herself like a queen, head high, red golden curls piled on top of her head in an elaborate hairdo. Her eyes glittered at him through the slits of a black mask, casually held up before her face on a long stem that she carried in her right hand, a closed fan dangling from her wrist.

The girl, who'd been cowering in his embrace, took advantage of his momentary distraction to pull away and seek refuge in the arms of her unlikely savior. In a tremulous voice, she pleaded, "_Oh, merci, Madame! _Thank you!Help me, please. I'm so scared of him ! His face…"

Damon rolled his eyes, his face quickly shifting back. Silly chit. And who did this interfering woman think she was? Secure in the knowledge of his own superior strength (in his defense, he'd never been proven wrong before), he moved closer to her, lazily flexing his muscles.

"_Qui êtes-vous? _Who are you?" He asked smoothly, opening his eyes wider and trying to catch her gaze. "And why are you interfering in things that are none of your business?"

The woman laughed again, amused this time, "Heavens, are all of you Americans so very rude?" She spoke in only slightly accented English, and Damon narrowed his eyes. He knew his French was impeccable, but apparently he had somehow betrayed himself.

"No, _sono Italiano_. I'm Italian," He corrected her, falling back on his guise of Italian count as he took another step closer to her. She didn't back away, and for some reason, that irked him.

"Whatever you say. My, you _are_ a pretty boy... " She raked her eyes over him, and somehow, that unbalanced him a little. He was used to getting admiring looks from women, but she was uncommonly open about her frank appraisal.

She laughed again when she noticed his discomfiture, "What's your name?"

"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours, Goldilocks," He drawled, suddenly dropping the pretense as well as the accent. It was no use now that she'd seen through it anyway.

"You can call me Sage, _mon beau garçon_," She supplied, not batting a lash at his boldness. "As to why I am here..."

She let the words hang in the air as she looked down at the girl that was still clinging to her arm. Then she slowly lowered her mask, and Damon was surprised to see her strong features change, the smooth porcelain skin giving way to dark veins under her eyes, her teeth elongating, "You were about to _ruin_ a perfectly good meal..."

Well, hell. How had he not caught on to the fact that she was a vampire? He was angry at himself for not noticing the lack of a human heartbeat, the absence of breathing. With a snarl on his lips because the woman apparently had the gall to steal his dinner, he rushed her, pulling the softly keening girl from her arms.

Sage reacted with a burst of speed. The girl bonelessly sagged to the floorboards as Damon found himself pinned against one of the wooden poles holding up the roof. The gazebo creaked and shook as she held him there singlehandedly, one hand to his neck, his feet dangling off the floor. Damon struggled in vain, his hands clutching at the fingers circling his throat without any noticeable effect.

She pursed her lips, tilting his head this way and that, looking for all the world as if she were examining a prized stallion she was looking to buy.

His eyes shot fiery daggers at her. He bared his teeth and forced out, "Do you want to inspect my fangs too?"

She smiled, her face back to normal. Nothing seemed to ruffle her feathers, and she was strong. Very strong. She must be old then...

"You are insolent," she shrugged one shoulder in a very French gesture, and Damon braced himself for pain. Surely she wouldn't hesitate to kill him. He was surprised when she abruptly released him, his shoes thudding on the planks beneath his feet. He caught himself just in time and looked at her, blinking a little from the moonlight that suddenly fell in his eyes.

She was still standing right in front of him, not a hair on her head out of place, observing him pensively as if making up her mind what to do with him. Well, she could probably crush him like a bug, but hadn't he just been wondering earlier if he hadn't seen all there was to see as a vampire? If he had to snuff it, he'd rather do it with his ego intact...

So he raised his eyebrows and returned her gaze, slowly letting his eyes slide down over the tempting curves she had in all the right places.

Her next remark came out of the blue, "_Très bien_. Very good. I like you. You have potential. I think I shall teach you. I've been bored lately, and you could use some... polishing, _oui_?"

"What exactly do you think you can teach me?" Damon took a step forward, intentionally invading her personal space. Always dangerous with a vampire, but he figured he had her number now. She was just as bored as he was...

"Oh, your eyes are so blue," She murmured, "_On dirait le ciel un jour d'été..._ The sky on a summer's day…"

"Are we just going to stand here while you wax poetic about my eyes? If so, do you mind if I grab a bite to eat in the meantime?" Damon demanded, nodding his head to the shivering girl.

"How impatient you are!" She pouted, but her eyes were sparkling. "You think you know it all, do you? The splendid ignorance of youth..."

"Pray enlighten me then," Damon interrupted her, and she tapped the end of her fan against his cheek in response to his audacity.

"Let's see... This is how you work: snatch, eat, kill. Repeat _ad nauseam_. It's all so very… _basic_," Contempt dripped from her last word.

"Yeah, so? I'm a vampire. Blood in my system equals happy Damon," Damon said tartly, his entire being focused on the fast paced heartbeat of the girl.

"So Damon is your name?" Sage asked, walking towards the girl and gently tugging her up.

Damon nodded and sketched her a mocking bow, and she flashed him an amused smile, "How very appropriate in our line of … _business_, don't you think?"

She pulled the girl towards the iron bench in the middle of the gazebo, and motioned Damon over. They sat down with the trembling girl between them. Her heartbeat fluttered like a sparrow's, and her eyes were big, oozing fear as she looked from one to the other.

"Shh, little one," Sage murmured, soothing but clearly not compelling the girl.

Then she looked at Damon, raising one eyebrow, "So, what were you going to do with her?"

Damon frowned, "Well, I obviously wasn't planning on asking her hand in marriage! What did you think I was going to do?"

"Bad vampire!" Sage shook her head in amusement, "A woman isn't just for food, Damon. She's for _pleasure_…"

Damon just smirked and gave her a smoldering look.

Sage chuckled, but continued speaking in her husky voice, "Instead of just sustenance, her blood can be life's very essence, rich and sweet. Take your time to seduce her, and you will taste the pleasure. Fear gives a bitter tang, but pleasure makes the blood sweet, so make sure she enjoys it. You have to make her _want_ it, Damon…"

Damon just looked at her. Then he shrugged, taking the girl's face between his fingers and looking at her intently. His pupils dilated, and he whispered, "Don't be afraid…"

His fingers softly stroked the exposed skin above the swooping neckline of the girl's shell pink ball gown, down to the onset of her budding breasts.

Sage looked at the girl and saw the telltale relaxing of the muscles as the fear drained from her body. She nodded with approval. "Now that's more like it…"

The girl's dress was laced up front, and Sage deftly tugged at the lacings, undoing the front and slipping a finger inside. Damon heard the girl sigh softly. He bent over to let his hand slide under the hem of her ball gown, sliding it up higher and higher over silk stockings.

She tensed, and Sage gave him a warning look and a whisper, "Don't rush it, Damon. She's never known a man. Take it slow..." She lowered her mouth to the girl's collarbone, pressing butterfly kisses along her throat.

Damon watched Sage, his eyes turning dark. Not that he'd never done a threesome before, but he'd never fed together with another vampire. His own lips sought out the girl's earlobe, teasing it, as his hand slowly crept higher on her leg until he found the opening in her pantalets. She jerked as his finger tentatively touched her womanhood, but her head fell back as he started stroking her, very gently at first. He did know how to pleasure a woman. He'd just never had another woman judge his prowess before. It gave him a strange feeling, catching Sage's eyes over the body of the now squirming girl.

Sage's face had changed again. She looked at him, fangs gleaming, and he was taken aback for a moment at the unexpected sight. He felt the familiar ache in his gums that indicated his own teeth were pushing to the fore. Sight became sharper still, and the sound of merrymaking from the ballroom carried far into the night. The rushing of the girl's blood was stronger in his ears though, almost drowning out everything else as he focused on her pleasure.

Sage ran her fingers through his hair, mussing the curly raven locks. "Now,_ my hungry chick_. _Now_ you may feed. But do not take too much. It is wiser to refrain from killing her," She said it in a quiet whisper, and Damon nodded.

She waited until Damon bit down before doing the same a fraction of a second later. Damon felt sudden wetness coat his fingers as the girl's excitement increased with the discovery of unknown feelings. She was moaning now, her eyes scrunched closed as she forgot all about her surroundings, unaware of the two vampires pressing into her from both sides. She rocked her hips, rubbing eagerly against Damon's fingers even as the first drops of blood spilled into his mouth.

Her blood was rushing through her veins in the same frantic rhythm as her heart that was almost pounding out of her chest. Damon looked at Sage from hooded eyes as he savored the blood on his own tongue, sweet and more potent than he'd ever tasted it.

The girl's heart rate accelerated even more as he pushed one finger a little ways into her, his thumb rubbing her distended little nub, and she sobbed as her release hit her. Her blood with its high endorphin level was almost spurting into his mouth now, and he could feel Sage pulling out. She licked the cuts closed, and he followed suit, withdrawing his fangs and slipping his hand from underneath the girl's dress.

Sage's hand came around the slumped down girl to pull his face to hers. Her fangs had disappeared and her eyes were bottomless pools of black desire as she kissed him, hard and furious, her fingernails digging into his jaw as she gripped his face to keep him still. She was now like a fury, so different from the soft touches she'd laid on the girl.

Damon knew he'd not be going back into that ballroom. He had satisfied one craving, but he was fit to burst from his pants, as if the excitement in the girl's blood had somehow transferred into his own bloodstream. And it seemed like he wasn't the only one. Sage's hands were on his jacket, pushing it off his shoulders, and he shrugged out of it, his hands coming back to cup her face.

But Sage set her hand to his shirt, ripping it down the front with a hoarse growl, "Now is not the time to be gentle anymore, Damon!"

Damon hissed as she dug her nails deep into his skin. "You want hard and fast? _So_ not a problem!"

He hauled her up off the bench, backing her into one of the poles supporting the gazebo. Hooking his fingers into the neckline of her exquisite gown, he gave her a cheeky look, "Are you _very_ attached to this dress?"

Her smile was like a flash of brilliance, "Not at all, Damon. Have at it!"

He tore the fabric down the front to bare her heaving breasts, and bent his head to suckle her pebbled, rosy nipples. Hard, just like she'd asked. She arched her back, hitting the pole so violently that the roof was shaking, a gasp tearing from her lips.

Damon pulled her away from the creaking wooden structure. The gazebo would never hold if he really let loose, so he flashed them over to the stone sundial, slamming her bare back against the cold stone.

She moaned, "Oh, _oui_, Damon!" as he pulled up great swathes of the dress to bare her legs. His hand slipped underneath, feeling for her underthings. He pulled back in surprise when he found nothing but bare skin.

"No pantalets? You're a naughty lady, Miss Sage," He purred, unbuttoning his own trousers, aching to be inside her.

"Naughty is so much more expedient, _non_?" She breathed in his ear right before biting it.

He growled in response, hoisting her up so she could wrap her legs around his waist. She did so eagerly, and he surged upwards, entering her in one swift movement and burying himself to the hilt. He set a fast pace, slamming into her with no regard for delicacy. She was a vampire after all, so she could take it. She clawed at his back, urging him to go faster. Her legs tightened around him as she pushed herself up only to sink down again, impaling herself in counterpoint to his upwards thrusts. All too soon they both exploded in a flurry of fast movement.

"_Hello_, my blue-eyed devil," The low, familiar voice from his daydream murmured next to his ear, pulling Damon back into the present. "Long time no see…"

Sage was back.

And the rest was history.

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><p><strong>AN: I know this was just Damon, no Elena. Well, girl wasn't around in 1889 ;) You know I'm addicted to your reviews, so please push that blue button and tell me if you liked it at all?<strong>


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